New Delhi, Mar 28 (PTI) The Centre has procured 741.62 lakh tonne of paddy in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year so far at the minimum support price (MSP), Union Food Ministry said on Monday.

"Till now about 105.14 lakh farmers have been benefitted with MSP value of Rs 1,45,358.13 crore," the ministry said in a statement.

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A quantity of 741.62 lakh tonne of paddy has been procured till March 27 of the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year, it said.

Out of the total procurement undertaken so far, maximum of 187.28 lakh tonne of paddy has been procured from Punjab, followed by 92.01 lakh tonne from Chhattisgarh, 70.22 lakh tonne from Telangana, 55.30 lakh tonne from Haryana and 66.53 lakh tonne from Uttar Pradesh till March 27 of the ongoing marketing year.

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The paddy marketing season normally begins from October and runs through September.

During the 2020-21 marketing season, the government had procured 895.83 lakh tonne of paddy at a MSP value of Rs 1,69,133.26 crore.

The government undertakes procurement operations through state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) as well as state agencies.

The government buys largely paddy and wheat to protect farmers with MSP as well as use the procured grains for distribution through ration shops for the poor beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act at highly subsidized rates.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)